Can my daughter still enter US before her passport expires?

by Suki
(Hong Kong)

Question: We are residing in Hong Kong. My daughter is ten years old. We plan to spend our two-month summer vacation back in the US. Her passport is going to expire in July. But we will enter the US before its expiration date and then she will renew the passport in the US. Some countries/ airlines may require six-month validity of passport to go on board. Will she have any problems entering the US then?

Answer: An American citizen can re-enter the United States up to the expiration date of his or her passport.

Since you will only be in the U.S. for a period of two months, you should apply for a new passport for your daughter soon after you arrive. Routine processing of passport applications takes 4-6 weeks. It can take longer if there is an unexpected increase in applications submitted or if some problem arises with your documents.

If you have time, it may be more expedient to apply for your daughter's passport at the American consulate in Hong Kong. Processing through the consulate only takes 10 business days. In order to get the passport expedited within two weeks in the U.S., you would have to visit a regional agency and pay the expedited service fee. Click the link for more information.

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